Ta Da...

We have finally put furniture in our new living room...it is coming along and close (yea!) to being finished.
The TV is where the fireplace was once located.  The color on the walls looks more Carmel/orange than it is in reality.  The color is a warm "toasty" brown.

One of the favorite things is our new bay window...Jack loves to sit up there.

Since this picture was taken, the banister, in the background, has been stained and the baseboards are all painted white...As you can see in the corner of the picture, the alcove/bookcase is not completed.

A view of the kitchen...from the living room. You can see Jack on the right side of the photo..that is the entry way to the sun room. The wooden posts (which hold up the entire house) have been a bit of a hazard...Sam was talking to Jack, who was sitting at the counter, and he turned around and ran right into a post...as have I, too.

and one last view of the kitchen...

Next week we will be getting a new roof...we had terrible ice dams last year and with our house improvements, we don't want to take any chances. The roofer came to check it out and told us it was "spongy."  Not a good adjective when referring to your roof!

Hey, Grandpa R....

Yea!! I am back!  The blogger helper people got back to me and it was a very simple fix...Yea!!

"Check out my awesome t-shirt, Grandpa R.!"

My dad use to own an International Dealership and I came across this t-shirt and just had to buy it. Sam loves "big red" just about as much as my dad does and this shirt was perfect for him!

Ugh!! Day 2

I am SO frustrated! Every time I go to upload MY photos, it won't work!! I even went to the extent of writing a HELP ME post on blogger. Is anyone else, who uses blogger, having these issues? I can upload other images, but not my own from Picasa.

Each time I go to upload a photo and it doesn't work, I feel like the man below...

Ugh!!

So, if you hadn't noticed, I took last week off. trying to get the house back together. Went to post pictures to show you the semi-finished product, but I cannot get my photos to post...so another day off. Sorry, don't forget to come back tomorrow to see if I had any luck!

Off to Warmer Weather...

Last night, Jason's mom and grandma came over for dinner. It was their "send-off' dinner, because tomorrow they are heading to Arizona for the winter. They will be back May 1st...

Had to take a few photos with the boys before they left....

The boys and Grandma Sharon...

Sam with Great-Grandma Darlene...

Jack snuggling with his Grandma Sharon...
The weather in Tuscon was 86 degrees and fabulous. I am enjoying the cooler weather here, but in about a month I think I may head south, too!!

What Does Jack Do?

Several people have asked, "What does Jack do at Sam's football games?"

Well..it depends on the weather and Jack's mood...

Last weekend was pretty warm, so he bought some Army men and had them visit the desert. He also buried his feet a couple of times and smashed sand bugs...kept him busy until....

he spotted my sister, mom and dad at the other end of the field. Being the polite boy he is, he didn't want to block any one's view by walking in front of them, so he ran down to my family bent over....

He did that a couple of times. OK, I know, he is bare foot, his feet are obvioulsy realy dirty (yuck), shorts are dirty and too small...it was just that kind of a day for me...

Then instead of running back like a hunchback, he decided to crawl...nice. He couldn't' go very fast due to crawling on the sand and so on my end it was very painful to watch...because it took SOOOOO long for him to get back. After that, we decided he could go around the back to see my family...

A Bit Concerned...

I am not an expert at football by any means, but I have watched a few NFL games and have noticed that the players get a penalty for leading with their heads of helmets...well, I was looking through Sam's last FB game photos and noticed a trend with him....

I am a bit concerned about him leading with his helmet, due to the fact that he would get very hurt...must point this out to Jason, so he can correct this...so my little boy doesn't get hurt!! :) Jason will love that conversation!!!

Goodbye Gabe...

My sister's beloved dog, Gabe, went on to a better life last night. He will be greatly missed.
Please send Meg positive, warm vibes (as meg would say) and thoughts.

On a lighter note...though probably not so PC at this time...last night I explained to Sam and Jack about Gabe. I told them both that Gabe had died. Sam asked if aunt had to put Gabe down. I told him yes she did - that he was old and ready to go. Sam (in classic Sam style) said, "I feel bad for Aunt. But, I think it is a good thing. Gabe couldn't run anymore and now he will be able to run again, with new legs, and have fun with all his friends." (sniff)
Then Jack (in classic Jack style) said...and I didn't make this up..."Did Aunt use one of those sleep darts?"

The Bathroom...

With all the major kitchen things going on, I have forgotten to share the remodeled bathroom.
The bathroom is between the kitchen and the sun room...

Here is a before picture of the bathroom (forgive the blurriness!)

and after...we repainted with a light gray (Jason's favorite color!) put in a new vanity, a new mirror (from target!) and wood floors.

The before vanity...

The new vanity...we really like the look! My favorite part is the faucet. The handles say "hot" and "cold." I love the old vintage look of them and it fits just right in this bathroom!
It is completely done, except for TP roll hanger and towel racks and that's no big deal in the scheme of things!!

Before and After Pictures...

The house is almost completely done...a few things need to be finished on the inside (posting that later) but the outside is officially completed...except for our outdoor lighting...thought I would share some before and after pictures of the outside...

Groucho Marx...

We cleaned out jack's room the other day and he found some new glasses...

Not Staged...

When we first started the blue prints for our kitchen, we joked with the builders about our big island and how at one end we wanted it to come out to a table. I explained that it was for when I was making dinner, Sam could sit at the table doing his homework (we all chuckled - especially the image of me making dinner like June Cleaver!)...well...

the other night I was making dinner (it was a successful dinner of tacos!) and Jack was sitting in the new window looking at Halloween magazine...

...and Sam was sitting at the table doing his homework! (how dreamy)

He had to get a pillow to boost himself up to reach the table, but it was a dream come true!!
(We are shopping for higher stools this week!)